"A dream without action is a pipe dream." - Erden Eruç at the Hutch School, Sept 23 2005

EXPEDITIONS        CAUSES        EDUCATION

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Six Summits Expedition

First Summit (Denali)

The journey of began on February 1, 2003 when Erden Eruç left Seattle for Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Stage 1. This was the first of six summits to be climbed as a tribute to Göran Kropp. Erden was riding his Novara Safari bicycle equipped with Ortlieb panniers, and towing a BOB Ibex Trailer. The road weight of the entire rig was 175 lbs including his climbing gear. Between February 1st and August 24th, Erden bicycled to Alaska, snowshoed 67 miles over the length of the Kahiltna glacier to the base camp with his friends, and summitted Denali on May 29, 2003. Following his wedding in Homer, Alaska, he bicycled back home still towing his climbing gear, Göran style. At the end of Stage 1, his odometer reading for the roundtrip was 5,546 miles.

For Erden, the Denali phase is done except for the walk out from Kahiltna Base Camp to Forks Road House. This stretch was a distance of 67 miles covered on foot during the walk in. The team chose to fly out due to time constraints. Erden will go back to complete this bit at the end of the Six Summits Project, or when the logistics allow him between now and then.

After taking a year to solidify the non-profit Around-n-Over and recruiting a strong team, Erden bicycled from Seattle to Miami between October 3 and December 25, 2004. Starting the circumnavigation by rowing out of Miami, and ending it there was the intention. During that ride, Erden stopped at schools and REI stores to share the story with a wider audience. This 82 day and 3,980 mile trip provided him the much needed media visibility in the US.

Erden's solo Atlantic row in early 2006, reinforced the advice that he had been receiving against the Miami departure. A continuous row around the world which created much risk and introduced fail points in the project, had been the original thought. By avoiding shipment of the rowboat, Erden had wanted to reduce the carbon footprint of the journey, which eventually proved unfeasible. Further research and discussions with experts matured the circumnavigation to its current path, dropping the continuous row idea.

Circumnavigation began

Between May 3-16, 2007, Erden Eruç bicycled from his home in Seattle to the Corinthian Yacht Club (CYC) in Tiburon, on the north shores of the San Francisco Bay with the intent to reach Australia to climb Kosciuszko (Stage 2). After two false starts in June from CYC and after a long wait of five weeks for the right conditions, Erden finally launched on the Pacific Ocean from Bodega Bay on July 10, 2007 in his rowboat. Bodega Bay is the official starting point of Erden's circumnavigation attempt. Erden stayed at sea until May 17, 2008 which was when it became clear that a resupply at sea was not going to be possible.

Erden's rowing journey of 312 days across the northern Pacific Ocean took him to the waters of Papua New Guinea, 5,514 nm away as the crow flies. His original plans of rowing to Australia had been dashed by a full blown La Nina that was in effect, which did not allow passage across the Equator. The 312 days at sea is the new Guinness World Record for the "longest solo ocean row" category.

Erden returned to the same location on January 15, 2009 with his rowboat, and 20 days later, made landfall at Finsch Harbor in Papua New Guinea on February 4, 2009. This concluded his land-to-land crossing of the Pacific Ocean.

With this accomplishment, Erden Eruç became:

We hope that you followed along:
  312 days across the Pacific solo from California to the waters of Papua New Guinea!!!
    Reports from the boat -- Reported Location
    Ocean Rowing Society -- Home Page -- Maps by ARGOS Beacon

• resume his circumnavigation by returning to Finsch Harbor, walk and sea kayak to Port Moresby on the south side to eventually reach Australia by rowing, (Stage 2)
• approach Mt. Kosciuszko by bicycle and climb it,
• bicycle to Fremantle on Australia's west coast,
• row from Fremantle to India, bicycle to Nepal, climb Everest (highest point),
• bicycle to Elbrus in Russia at its border with Georgia and climb it,
• bicycle through Georgia, Turkey, Syria to Jordan to touch the Dead Sea (lowest point),
• continue on to Tanzania by bicycle and climb Kilimanjaro,
• bicycle to Namibia, then row to Brazil,
• bicycle to Argentina to climb Aconcagua,
• return to Bodega Bay near San Francisco to conclude the human powered circumnavigation, then continue on by bicycle to Seattle.

Charitable Causes

İLKYAR Foundation We are supporting the projects of İLKYAR Foundation in rural Turkey. With their focus on elementary and middle school children in centrally located boarding schools, and especially on trying to keep girls in school, İLKYAR provides the basic needs of these rural students entirely with volunteer help. Early on, contributions from the Turkish community drove our funding of İLKYAR projects. We do on occasion receive targeted donations from other contributors toward İLKYAR for which we are truly thankful. In April of 2007, we provided İLKYAR with the resources to fund two school libraries. Throughout his Pacific Ocean crossing, Erden Eruç rallied for an İLKYAR Donation Campaign, especially encouraging Turkish donors. Erden was able to direct their donations toward İLKYAR since he had the full sponsorship of AKTAŞ Group for his crossing. Turkish Coalition of America provided a matching donation for our Pacific campaign total (List of contributors). Date of Funds Transfer       Amount 2007, April       3,000.00 2008, June (donations while on Pacific)       19,020.00 2008, July (donations while on Pacific)       4,272.07 2008, September (TCA Matching Donation)       23,292.07 2009, April (Western Pacific İLKYAR Campaign)       1,290.00 2009, May (Seattle Microsoft Employees)       1,454.22 Total benefit submitted to İLKYAR:       $ 52,328.36

To participate in the İLKYAR Campaign, please send your tax-deductible contributions to: Around-n-Over, İLKYAR Campaign PO Box 19662 Seattle, WA 98109-6662

Boskoff-Fowler Search and Rescue Fund Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler lost their lives on Genyen peak near Chengdu in south central China in late November 2006. The cause of the accident is assumed to be an avalanche. Charlie's body was located quickly on December 27th. The search effort for Christine continued when conditions on the mountain improved and was finally located on July 3, 2008. After the loss of Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler in southern China during their climbing expedition, we established the Boskoff Fowler Search and Rescue Fund (BFSAR). Together with Mountain Madness, we raised funds to be used specifically to defray the costs related to the search and recovery effort. All surplus funds were used in the spirit of the mission statement of Around-n-Over to honor the legacy of Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler. Improving the lives of porters and their well being had always been foremost in Christine's mind. Therefore a modest contribution was directed from the BFSAR Fund toward the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project, which will be used to support their clothing lending program, classes for porters, and education of the public regarding proper porter treatment. This project is an initiative of the International Mountain Explorers Connection. The Boskoff Memorial Fund has since been established at Room to Read. Room To Read is an organization focused on bringing the gift of education to developing communities, and it has roots in some of the countries on the Six Summits Project itinerary. Following the tsunami disaster which impacted several countries along the Indian Ocean, Around-n-Over had already contributed a modest amount toward the "Help rebuild schools in Sri Lanka" campaign by Room To Read. Boskoff was a former board member of this nonprofit organization which helps establish schools, libraries and other educational infrastructures in developing countries. The memorial fund is dedicated to building a school in Nepal in Boskoff's honor. Donations to the Boskoff Memorial Fund will support this school and the Girls' Scholarships Program throughout that country, a program which was dear to Christine's heart.

BFSAR Fund activity       Amount Total contributions       18,471.64 Total associated costs       14,063.59 Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Program       500.00 Boskoff Memorial Fund       3,908.05 BFSAR Fund balance:       $ 0.00

To participate in the Boskoff Memorial Fund drive, please send your tax-deductible contributions to: Room to Read - Mountain Madness Appeal The Presidio PO Box 29127 San Francisco, CA 94129

Departure from Seattle toward Denali came quickly and we had few contacts with students along the way in 2003. One in particular was the Chalo Elementary School of Fort Nelson First Nation Reserve, where Erden Eruç held two sessions for 3rd and 5th graders, respectively. Since then, Erden has met in person with students numbering in the thousands. It was possible to help the students experience the magic of the journeys by satellite phone connections to classrooms. During his Pacific Ocean crossing in a rowboat, Erden held regular teleconferences with the primary level students in regional boarding schools in Turkey. The regular field trips by the İLKYAR Foundation volunteers to these schools provided the perfect opportunities to connect. National Museum of Education (NMoE) located in Akron, Ohio, WhaleNet sponsored by the Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts and the Northwest Invention Center (NWIC) based in Redmond, Washington have become our partners, adding educational value to our human powered endeavors. We believe that the educators will leverage our content. Educators know best how to teach the students, and how to access the educational system. Around-n-Over will remain a catalyst for this educational mission. To specifically support these educational programs and partners, please send your tax-deductible donations to: Around-n-Over, Education Fund PO Box 19662 Seattle, WA 98109-6662 Examples of Erden's school visits are as follows: two sessions at the Gatzert Elementary School in Seattle, for Kindergarten and 3rd graders, three sessions over two visits for 2nd, 4th and 6th graders at the Springbrook Elementary School in Kent, WA, one visit with the Adventure Club students at the Madrona Junior High School in Edmonds, WA, 12 sessions held over three days for the students of Rogers High School in Spokane, WA, engaging over 500 students - these included their "Learning Expeditions" groups, professional technical classes, and their soccer team, and six sessions during a one day visit to Cle Elum-Roslyn High School and Walter Strom Middle School to address over 200 students. one session for the 4th grade students at Lowell Elementary in Everett Rose Hill Montessori School in Boise, Idaho one presentation and another discussion session at the Hillcrest Elementary in Ogden, Utah Crestview Elementary School in Boulder, Colorado Alsup Elementary School in Commerce City, Colorado Adams City High School in Commerce City, Colorado Heatherwood Elementary School in Boulder, Colorado two presentations at the Chesterfield Day School in St. Louis, Missouri Wren Hollow Elementary School in St. Louis, Missouri Grasslands Middle School in Nashville, Tennessee Three presentations at the Autrey Mill Middle School in Alpharetta, Georgia Bryant Elementary School in Seattle, Washington Gelişim İlköğretim Okulu, Eskişehir, Turkey Milli Zafer İlköğretim Okulu, Eskişehir, Turkey TED Vakfı Okulları, Ankara, Turkey Tevfik Fikret Okulları, Ankara, Turkey Öğretmen Hüseyin Hüsnü Tekışık İlköğretim Okulu, Ankara, Turkey Bornova Anadolu Lisesi, İzmir, Turkey Three presentations at Piri Reis İlköğretim Okulu, İzmir, Turkey Müjgan Karaçalı İlköğretim Okulu, Ankara, Turkey Two presentations at HEV Kemerköy İlköğretim Okulu, İstanbul, Turkey TED İstanbul Koleji, İstanbul, Turkey Two presentations at İlhami Ahmed Örnekal İlköğretim Okulu, İstanbul, Turkey Three presentations at the British International Schools, İstanbul, Turkey Hutch School in Seattle Cooperativa A Torre in Lisbon, Portugal Colégio de Santa Maria in Lisbon, Portugal Showalter Middle School in Tukwila Greenwood Elementary School in Seattle Boy Scouts of America, Troop 361, Federal Way Üsküdar Esatpaşa Trade School in İstanbul Güngoren Mustafa Kemal Elementary School in İstanbul Çakabey Elementary School in İzmir TAKEV Elementary School in İzmir Ankara Science High School ENKA Elementary School in İstanbul Howe Manning School in Middleton, Massachusetts Fuller Meadow School in Middleton, Massachusetts St. Aloysius Elementary School in Spokane, Washington Pleasant Valley Middle School, Vancouver, Washington Denny Middle School, Seattle, Washington Somerset Elementary School, Seattle, Washington University Child Development School, Seattle, Washington Eastlake High School, Sammamish, Washington Grand Ridge Elementary, Issaquah, Washington Redmond Elementary, Redmond, Washington Odle Middle School, Bellevue, Washington Ateneo de Manila High School, Manila, Philippines Laboratory High School at University of Philippines, Los Baños de Laguna Newsland Phonic Elementary School, Kamlawa, Papua New Guinea Public presentations help us carry our message to a wider audience. These appearances have opened doors for us into many schools. When instructors become aware of our efforts and our mission, we usually receive a warm invitation to schools as a follow up. Our goal is to have as many public presentations as possible. As of this date we have: Participated in the Cascade Climbers Fall Ropeup in Leavenworth, WA. Presented at The North Face store in downtown Seattle. Presented at the REI Flagship Store in Seattle, WA. Held a presentation at the Second Ascent store in Ballard, near Seattle, WA. Presented for The Mountaineers in Everett Presented for The Mountaineers in Seattle Presented at the Seattle Vertical World Presented at the REI in Boulder, Colorado Presented at the REI in St. Louis, Missouri Presented at the REI in Brentwood, Tennessee Held a presentation for the University of Washington Climbing Club Presented at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma Presented on their Redmond campus for Microsoft Adventures Presented at Osmangazi University in Eskişehir, Turkey Presented at Middle East Technical University Alumni Clubhouse in Ankara Turkey Presented for İDADİK in İzmir, Turkey Presented for Ankara Rotary Club at The Hilton in Ankara, Turkey Presented for Levent Rotary Club at Divan Hotel in İstanbul, Turkey Presented for Boğaziçi University Alumni Association in İstanbul, Turkey Presented for Zirve Mountaineering Club in İstanbul, Turkey Presented for Doğa Aktiviteleri Gurubu in İstanbul, Turkey Presented for Yıldız Teknik University Mountaineering Club in İstanbul, Turkey Presented for Boğaziçi University Mountaineering Club in İstanbul, Turkey Presented at Associação Naval de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal Presented at the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Explorers Club Presented at the Şişli Rotary Club in İstanbul Presented at the Ataköy Marina in İstanbul Presented at the İstanbul Sailing Club Presented at the Marmara University Medical School at Koşuyolu, İstanbul Presented at the Kartal State Hospital in İstanbul Presented at the Turkish Naval Academy at Tuzla, İstanbul Presented at the Education Department of Boğaziçi University,İstanbul Presented at the Uludağ University in Bursa Presented at the Zirve Mountaineering Club in Bursa Presented at the Aktaş Group Executive Committee in Bursa Presented at the Buca Rotary Club in İzmir Presented at the Eskişehir Rotary Club Presented at the Turkish Rowing Federation Executive Committee meeting Presented at the Kartal State Hospital in Istanbul Presented for the Adalar Rowing Club in İstanbul Presented for the Ege University Student Groups in İzmir Presented at the Piri Reis Nautical Club in İzmir Presented for the Zirve Mountaineering Club in İzmir Presented at the Hacettepe University Mountaineering Club in Ankara Presented at the Ankara Sailing Club Presented at the Middle East Technical University, Mountaineering and Winter Sports Club Presented at the Annual Meeting of Aktaş Group in Bursa Presented at the Annual Meeting of Mustafa Nevzat Pharmaceuticals in Antalya Speaker and exhibitor at the 2007 Seattle Boat Show Feature Speaker and booth exhibitor at 2007 Seattle Bike Expo Presented at the Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA Presented at the Washington State University in Vancouver, WA Presented at The North Face store in Portland, OR Presented at the Haliç Rotary in İstanbul Presented at BÜMED (Boğaziçi University Alumni Association) to benefit BÜVAK (Boğaziçi University Foundation) Presented at the Naval Fleet Command in Gölcük, Turkey Presented at the Mine Clearing Fleet Command in Erdek, Turkey Presented at the Annual Meeting of Mustafa Nevzat Pharmaceuticals in Çeşme, Turkey Presented at the Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, CO Presented at the Cruising Club of America in Tiburon, CA Presented at the Dolphin Club in San Francisco, CA Presented at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Tiburon, CA Presented at the Emerald City Rotary, Seattle, WA

Atlantic Crossing (completed)

Erden Eruç joined Tim Harvey in Lisbon to help Tim across the Atlantic Ocean. This row was intended to assist Tim Harvey to continue on a human powered journey back to Vancouver. This row was not part of the Six Summits Project which will require another crossing of the Atlantic later to bring that journey back to the Americas.

The duo left Lisbon on October 16, 2005, then was held up in Cascais, 12nm due west, with opposing winds until November 9. They were eventually able to make progress due south to El Jadida and Safi in Morocco, arriving at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on December 11th. Since Jan 1, 2006, Tim Harvey and Erden Eruç are pursuing their own personal objectives.

Beginning on January 29, 2006, Erden Eruç continued alone from Las Palmas to the island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean Sea. His crossing time of 92 days put him into the Caribbean Sea on May 2, 2006. Erden made landfall on the island of Guadeloupe three days later on May 5.

With this accomplishment, Erden Eruç became:

We hope that you followed along:
  92 days across the Atlantic solo from Canary Islands, landfall at Guadeloupe on day 96!!!
    Reports from the boat -- Reported Location
    Ocean Rowing Society -- Home Page -- Maps by ARGOS Beacon